Packers’ Arms Race Turns Into Dud

Saturday’s preseason game was the final opportunity for Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt to emerge as Jordan Love’s backup quarterback. Neither player seized the job.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford (6) looks to throw a pass during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ training camp competition at receiver was hot.

The competition at backup quarterback was not.

All summer, the Packers were waiting for Sean Clifford or Michael Pratt to seize control of the role as Jordan Love’s backup. It never happened.

After strong showings against Cleveland to kick off the preseason, Clifford and Pratt struggled down the stretch.

Against Denver and Baltimore to conclude the preseason, Clifford was a combined 12-of-24 passing (50.0 percent) for 96 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 56.9. Pratt was 18-of-28 passing (64.3 percent) for 132 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 72.3.

“I think it’s similar to the kicking competition in terms of there were some really good moments and then there were some things we absolutely have to do better,” coach Matt LaFleur said after a 30-7 rout of the Ravens to wrap up the preseason on Saturday at Lambeau Field. “We’ll evaluate everything that’s out there for us.”

There’s not an abundance of capable quarterbacks “out there” if the Packers are looking for a more reliable and experienced option.

Former Tennessee Titans standout Ryan Tannehill is far and away the most accomplished of the bunch, but he’s pocketed almost $200 million in career earnings so isn’t eager to sign as a backup and sit on the bench all season.

The Miami Dolphins released Mike White on Sunday. A fifth-round pick in 2018 by the Cowboys, White started a total of seven games for the Jets in 2021 and 2022. He threw for a lot of yards – he averaged almost 300 yards in four starts in 2022 – but has nine touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions on his resume.

Some competent backups could become available over the next couple days, as well. For instance, the Houston Texans have Davis Mills and Case Keenum working behind C.J. Stroud and the Atlanta Falcons have Taylor Heinicke buried behind Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix.

But, given the amount of time put into developing Clifford, a fifth-round pick in 2023, and Pratt, a seventh-round pick in 2024, general manager Brian Gutekunst might prefer to roll the dice on his young passers continuing to grow under esteemed quarterbacks coach Tom Clements.

Pratt closed the gap on Clifford during the final two weeks of camp, at times taking the No. 2 reps – including the 2-minute drill vs. the Ravens in Thursday’s joint practice.

On Saturday, LaFleur changed his approach to get more of an apples-to-apples comparison.

During the first preseason game at Cleveland, Love started and played three snaps, Clifford played into the third quarter and Pratt finished. Last week at Denver, Clifford played almost the entire first half. For the first two series, he ran Green Bay’s No. 2 offense against Denver’s starting defense before it became backups vs. backups for both teams.

On Saturday, in a quest to give Clifford and Pratt snaps with and against similar personnel, LaFleur rotated the quarterbacks after every two series. Clifford started and went 1-of-7 passing in his first two series before Pratt came in and directed scoring drives of 12 plays for a short field goal and seven plays for a touchdown.

At halftime, Clifford was 3-of-10 for 31 yards, a 40.0 rating and a dropped shotgun snap while Pratt was 6-of-8 for 67 yards and a 139.1 rating. The touchdown was a magnificent back-shoulder connection to Bo Melton.

If the door was open for Pratt to win the No. 2 job during the final 30 minutes, he closed it on his toe. During the second half, Clifford was 3-of-4 for 22 yards and Pratt was 2-of-4 for 13 yards and a terrible interception.

Pratt tried to make the tackle on the interception and wound up getting the wind knocked out of him. As LaFleur put it, “He got the ever-living crap knocked out of him and couldn’t breathe.”

On Tuesday, they’ll learn their fate. Regardless of whether Gutekunst keeps one or both on the 53-man roster, one of them will be Love’s backup for the Week 1 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.

That game already is Clifford’s focus. Rather than fret over roster cuts, he said he’s going to “start watching some tape on Philly. Obviously with camp, it’s just been very install-centric, so (we’ve) just not been able to get the reps to look at the ‘Birds’ yet, so (we’ll) just start to break down some tape there, get ahead of it, maybe even watch some Indy (Colts film) as well, just so that way it makes Week 1 that much easier.”

Clifford could have the edge in intangibles. Not only does he have a year of seasoning and a year of experience in the scheme, he knows what it’s like to be a backup quarterback and how to best support Love throughout the week and on gameday.

Pratt, however, has NFL-caliber arm strength and a lot of moldable tools.

“I think I had a pretty good camp,” he said. “I just think the most important thing was the growth throughout. I think there were a lot of things that I really learned throughout the process and I think I got a little bit better every single day. That was what was important for me.”

More Green Bay Packers News

Last night, I got the #Packers Roster Lock-O-Meter™️ fired up for one last look at the 91-man roster, which it broke down into seven tiers, starting with the 100 Percent Locks. ⬇️https://t.co/Lb3JrKp21l

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 25, 2024

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